I have a big coolant leak and I cannot figure out what it could be. I researched and could'nt find anything about the probelm I am having. I have a 94 FD with newly rebuilt engine with 20K miles on it. It has a powerfc and all the reliability mods. I was driving my FD and everything was fine. I wasn't driving it hard, just normal driving. I pulled in to park and when I was about to shut off the car I noticed the wtr temp was higher than it usually was. I shut the car off to avoid possible overheating and popped the hood. I then smelled coolant and noticed it was running across the ground and some was burning as it had gotten on the engine. Something must have happened just before I pulled in to park. The intercooler was unusually cool as well. The next day, while the car was shut off, I put water into the radiator to find out where the leak was coming from. Almost immediately it started leaking (green watery liquid just to let you know) from what looked to be the front (maybe around center) of the engine block. It didn't look like it was coming from the turbos. I couldn't pinpoint the exact location though. Maybe a radiator hose?

FYI- I had the car at rotary performance last month for some electrical issues and they went ahead and flushed the radiator and added new coolant.

If anyone has any ideas I really need some help! Thanks!

 

theres 5 coolant lines on the engine, 2 for the turbos just below the charge pipe off the twins, one to the passenger side of the alternator, 1 just below the throttle body and one just above and behind that goes to the rear of the engine.

either one of those lines failed or something is majorly miffed and the outer coolant seals on the engine failed.

 

I looked at it again and the leak may be coming from somewhere behind or around the general vicinity of the drive belt pulley. Maybe the water pump?

 

quite possible, get a small mirror and look under the pulley at the water pump, the bottom weep hole would have signs of leaking if it is bad.

 

It might be possible, but I've never seen a WP weep hole blow coolant like you've described.
Look at this diagram and it will give you an idea of all the coolant lines that Karack mentioned. There are a few others, those running to the AST and overflow come to mind, and heater core hoses. http://www.autosportracetech.com/RX-7/coolingsystem.htm

 

top it off with coolant then get a coolant pressure tester to see where the leak is coming from. It will pressurize the system without having to warm up the car. I have a snap-on one.

 

I will try to see with a mirror and I will check out that diagram too. Is it possible to leak that much coolant at once if the seal has failed? What do ya'll think about a cracked block?

 

Well, I have been putting water in there and it immediatey begins to leak out. Would the pressure tester still help me better determine where the leak is given the almost immediate loss of coolant after addition of coolant?

 

nope, if its coming out that quick then you just have to look and see where it is coming from which may require removing the UIM and plugging the 2 hoses that go to the throttle body.

 

"RockAuto.com" has brand new aftermarket waterpumps from reputable vendors for a lot cheaper then OEM

 

When I had a mysterious coolant leak, it was the throttle body hoses. There were small cuts in them which would expand once hot and then leak, you can always bypass it with the directions from http://www.robrobinette.com/throttle_body_coolant.htm

 

How far are you from RP? Could always take it back to them.

My first thought was the WP too btw. Could also be the hose that goes from the hardline to the back of the t-stat housing.

 

My first thought was turbo coolant hoses.

 

I live pretty close to RP. They are always an option.

 

Well, it ended up being a water pump gasket that failed. Maybe it just got worn out and failed. Any ideas on what caused the failure?

Thanks for all ya'll's input!

 

Glad to hear it was nothing major, hope to see you at the next meet.

 

I have a coolant leak problem. I recently purchased this car. I had noticed a small drip when I was doing my oil change, but didn't think much of it. After I did the oil change I did a round around the block. Didn't get very far before I noticed a large amount of steam coming from the turbo side of the car. From reading, I figure it must be a hose on the turbos. However, when I try to refill the lost coolant, it immediately leaks from an unseen in the location. It's pooling directly under the engine. Furthermore I cannot start the car to get working on it. Does this still sound like a textbook case of a turbo hose failure? Please help, thanks...

 

Not necessarily. It sounds like you need to spend some time troubleshooting.

Go out there and squeeze the hose to the top of the rad and try to find the general location of where it leaks from. Then remove what you need to find the hose that is leaking. If it is the turbo hoses, you will probably need to remove the intake and air pump to see it.

Read the coolant thread linked to in the FAQ thread stickied in this forum. That should give you enough info to help you understand the coolant system.

 

Will do, troubleshooting the coolant issue shouldn't be a problem, but my main concern is as to why the car is not starting. It makes no sense and concerns me, but also prevents me for working on it this night.